Small businesses can have huge effects on their local communities in several ways: They add charm to crowded streets, they benefit the local economy, and they help create an identity for community members. If you’ve always toyed with the idea of starting a local, small business that affects the lives of members in your town, you may wonder how to get started implementing your ideas. Consider the three ideas below when you start your community-friendly small business.
1. Ensure Your Team's Understanding of Basic, Everyday Tasks
If you consider everyday tasks to include communicating with your employees, sending out orders if you operate a business with an online component, and budgeting finances for important upcoming expenditures, you’d be correct — but these are not the only things that you or your team will have to do during the day, and simply putting “budgeting” on your schedule can make for a vague, confusing workday. Make organized to-do lists and hold regular, productive meetings with employees to break down vague tasks into actionable items and to encourage camaraderie.
If you are new to entrepreneurship and you’re not yet used to working for yourself, it can be difficult to manage your workday without any external structure. The solution? Create it for yourself. Consider investing in time management software or apps for yourself and your team, and look into project management platforms to ensure that everyone is on the same page.
2. Upgrade Your Marketing by Using Professional Services
Marketing may seem like an additional full-time job that you didn’t agree to take on when you started your business. Consider using professional marketing services when you’re starting out to take some of the pressure off yourself and your team. You can expect the WordPress developer salary to be between $15 and $30 an hour to create and optimize your business’s website, especially if they are students or recent graduates.
If you don’t know anyone suitable for the job, you may be able to locate a developer by combing through online reviews on online freelance job boards. Don’t worry if your budget is tight at the moment: You may be able to work with your developer to trade goods or services for an upgrade.
3. Engage Your Local Community
Working with locals to create sustainable and fun business relationships may be the part you’ve been waiting for. If you’re opening a shop that serves food or coffee, you’ve already got a great way to interact with people through advertising seasonal items, giving out loyalty cards, and creating what’s commonly known as a third space in which people can relax and work in their new home away from home (or place to come and do remote work). According to Entrepreneur, building relationships with customers often comes down to simple communication and feedback.
A business that promotes local services such as painting and interior design, dry cleaning, or wellness services can hold seasonal promotions, sponsor public events, and work with other small businesses in the area to create a team promotional effort. You can benefit the local community by engaging with customers on a regular basis and volunteering around town as a team to make your presence known and recognized by locals.
Some of the best ways to benefit your community won’t break your budget, and many are free. Try upgrading your business’s website, volunteering and getting involved in local events, and simply forging relationships with your customers!
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